Helping you make time for care
Paid Leave Oregon helps you support your employees when they need it most. Learn about what you need to do and how Paid Leave Oregon helps work out the details, so you don’t have to.
Employers, get ready for Paid Leave Oregon
Important dates to know
Post model notice poster
By Jan. 1, 2023, all employers must post the model notice poster at each work site and provide a copy to any remote employees.
Download the poster
Contributions
Jan. 1, 2023: All employers — from small to large — start withholding employee contributions from their wages.
Learn more
Benefits begin
Sept. 3, 2023: Employees can apply for Paid Leave benefits. Small employers can apply for assistance grants.
Learn more about assistance grantsSign up for the latest updates as we roll out Paid Leave Oregon.
Employer Toolkit
The Employer Toolkit helps you get started with downloadable tools and resources so you can better understand your role and share information about Paid Leave Oregon with your employees.
Employer Toolkit
Learn morePaid Leave Oregon at a glance
A quick look at how Paid Leave works for employers
Employer contributions
- All employers must withhold contributions from employees’ wages and submit them on their behalf.
- Large employers with 25 or more employees are required to pay the employer portion of the Paid Leave contribution.
- Small employers with fewer than 25 employees can choose to contribute but are not required to pay into the program. You still need to withhold contributions from your employees’ wages and protect their jobs and positions. This means they do not lose their job title or role while they’re on paid leave, if the position still exists, even if the position was filled by a temporary replacement employee while they were on leave.
- Learn more about requirements for large and small employers.
Paid Leave benefits
- Employees can take up to 12 weeks paid leave in a 52-week period (starting from the day their leave begins)
- Employees can choose when and how to take their leave—a day or week at a time
- Paid Leave Oregon pays your employees while they are on leave
- You must protect employees’ jobs and roles if they have worked for you more than 90 consecutive days and the position still exists
Who is eligible for benefits?
Eligible means someone is able to apply for benefits.
- If your employee works in Oregon, and made at least $1,000 the year before they apply for Paid Leave, they may be eligible for benefits
- If an employee works full time, part time, or for more than one job or employer, that counts
- Self-employed, independent contractors, and Tribal governments are not automatically covered but can choose coverage
How Paid Leave Oregon works for large and small employers
Employer size for the 2023 calendar year is based on your monthly employee counts for the previous year (Jan. to Dec. 2022). We count both in-state and out-of-state employees to determine the employer size. Learn more about how employer size is calculated. Here’s how it works:
Large employers
- If you have 25 or more employees, you are considered a large employer. This means you are required to pay the employer contribution to Paid Leave Oregon.
- All employers are required to protect employees’ jobs and positions if they’ve worked for you at least 90 consecutive days and the position still exists when they return from paid leave.
- If you use a third party payroll administrator to help you process your payroll, learn more about their role.
Small employers
- If you have fewer than 25 employees, you are considered a small employer. This means you can choose to contribute but are not required to pay into the program. You still need to withhold contributions from your employees’ wages and submit them on their behalf.
- All employers are required to protect employees’ jobs and positions if they’ve worked for you at least 90 consecutive days and the position still exists when they return from paid leave.
- If you use a third party payroll administrator to help you process your payroll, learn more about their role.
- Find out more about Paid Leave Oregon and small employers.
Who is Paid Leave Oregon for?
Employees
- Employees who work in Oregon and make at least $1,000 the year before applying can apply for Paid Leave Oregon benefits.
- Eligible work can be full time, part time, seasonal, or with one or more employers. Learn more about how Paid Leave Oregon works for employees.
Self-employed
- People who are self-employed or independent contractors aren’t automatically covered by Paid Leave Oregon but can choose to participate in the program. Learn more about how Paid Leave Oregon works for self-employed people and independent contractors.
How is Paid Leave Oregon paid for?
Both employees and large employers make contributions to Paid Leave Oregon. Learn more about your contribution rate (the amount you pay) into the program:
- The total contribution rate for 2023 is 1% of gross wages up to $132,900 in wages. (This may change from year to year, but the rate will never be more than 1%.)
- Starting Jan. 1, 2023, large employers with 25 or more employees will start paying 40% of the total 1% contribution rate and employees will pay 60% of the 1% contribution rate.
- Employers and employees can use this contributions calculator to estimate how much their contribution will be.
- Employers can also choose to pay all or a portion of the employee contribution as an added benefit.
What employers need to do to prepare for Paid Leave Oregon
It’s simple to get ready to offer Paid Leave benefits to your employees. Learn more about how to quickly and easily prepare.
Paid Leave Oregon and other Oregon programs
Paid Leave Oregon is different from other types of leave, like the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Here are the main differences:
OFLA FMLA Chart
DownloadPaid Leave Oregon equivalent plans
What are equivalent plans?
An equivalent plan is a plan offered by an employer that:
- Has the same or more benefits than Paid Leave Oregon
- Covers all employees
- Is approved by the Oregon Employment Department (OED)
Learn more about equivalent plans.
Equivalent Plan Guidebook
DownloadSolvency Guide
Learn moreThird party payroll administrators
What’s a third party administrator?
This is a person or company that helps an employer process payroll. Learn more about what third party administrators need to do.
This is a person or company that helps an employer process payroll. Learn more about what third party administrators need to do.
What employers need to do
Learn moreTribal governments
Tribal governments are not automatically covered and are not required to participate in any part of the program, but they can choose coverage. Here’s what Tribal governments need to know about Paid Leave coverage.
Tribal Governments
Learn moreAssistance grants
As a small employer, with fewer than 25 employees, you are not required to pay the employer portion of the Paid Leave contribution. If you choose to pay the employer contribution, you can get financial support to cover costs, such as hiring a temporary employee or getting help with other wage-related costs when an employee takes leave. Learn how to apply for assistance grants using Frances Online.
